(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing tourism services using a Radio Frequency (RF) Integrated Circuit (IC) card and a storage medium for storing a tourism service algorithm thereof . More particularly, the present invention relates to an RF IC card having the function of both a pre-paid and a credit card for using tourism services such as banking, transportation, communication, shopping, leisure, etc.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, if a tourist wants to buy foreign currency or any goods in foreign countries during his/her trip, it is troublesome if a credit card or cash that he/she has is not available.
For example, it is very hard to get a pass or token since it is difficult to find a ticket box in the case of using public transportation. Furthermore, in the case of a pre-paid card, it is difficult to obtain a refund of a balance of the card if the card is lost, and it is also difficult to open a new account for a credit card only for a short trip. Also, the problems can be caused in not only public transportation but also other situations such as making a telephone call.
Moreover, automatic teller machines (ATM) for foreign tourists are not provided enough, and the functions of pre-paid cards such as calling cards for local or long distance calls are very limited.
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for providing tourism services using an RF IC card and a storage medium for storing a tourism service algorithm thereof, which is capable of settling a used amount with the RF IC card to the rendered tourism services such as banking, transportation, communication, shopping, leisure, etc. It is another object of the present invention to provide the system and method for providing tourism services using the RF IC card and the storage medium for storing the tourism service algorithm thereof capable of settling a used amount to both domestically and internationally rendered tourism services and refunding a balance amount of the RF IC card if the card is lost.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an RF IC card comprising an RF chip and providing a function of a pre-paid card; and a settlement server for affiliating with domestic/international financial institutions, credit card companies, public transportation/communication facilities, and service centers, and for settling a used amount with the RF IC card at an affiliated corporation.